OLA Plugin - QLC+

Overview

The OLA (Open Lighting Architecture) plugin integrates QLC+ with the OLA framework, providing access to dozens of additional protocols and hardware interfaces. OLA acts as a middleware layer, allowing QLC+ to communicate with devices and protocols that don’t have native QLC+ plugins.

The plugin name as reported by QLC+ is “OLA”

What is OLA?

Open Lighting Architecture (OLA) is an open-source framework for lighting control: Key features:

50+ protocol plugins
Hardware abstraction layer
RDM support
Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Daemon-based architecture
Web-based configuration

Website: https://www.openlighting.org/

Capabilities

The OLA plugin supports:

Output - Send DMX data through OLA
Infinite - Support for multiple universes (OLA-dependent)

The OLA plugin is output-only in QLC+. Input requires OLA’s own tools or configuration.

Architecture

OLA uses a client-server architecture:

QLC+ (OLA Plugin) ↔ OLA Daemon (olad) ↔ Hardware/Protocols

Components

OLA Daemon (olad)

Background service that manages protocols and hardware

OLA Plugin (QLC+)

Client that connects to OLA daemon and sends DMX data

OLA Protocol Plugins

Individual plugins for each hardware/protocol (ArtNet, DMX USB, etc.)

Hardware/Network

Physical interfaces or network protocols

Plugin Structure

class OlaIO : public QLCIOPlugin
{
    OlaOutThread *m_thread;      // Communication thread
    QList<uint> m_outputs;       // Output universe mappings
    bool m_embedServer;          // Embedded vs external daemon
    QString m_configDir;         // OLA configuration directory
};

Installation

Linux

Ubuntu/Debian
Fedora/RHEL
From Source

# Install OLA
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ola

# Start OLA daemon
sudo systemctl start olad

# Enable at boot (optional)
sudo systemctl enable olad

# Verify OLA is running
ola_dev_info

# Install from source (OLA not in default repos)
sudo dnf install git automake libtool \
  protobuf-devel libmicrohttpd-devel \
  libusb-devel cppunit-devel

git clone https://github.com/OpenLightingProject/ola.git
cd ola
autoreconf -i
./configure
make
sudo make install

# Start daemon
olad -f

# Install dependencies
sudo apt-get install build-essential git \
  automake libtool pkg-config \
  libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler \
  libmicrohttpd-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev \
  libcppunit-dev

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/OpenLightingProject/ola.git
cd ola
autoreconf -i
./configure --enable-python-libs
make
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

macOS

# Install Homebrew (if not already installed)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install OLA
brew install ola

# Start daemon
olad -f

Windows

OLA support on Windows is limited:

Use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Install Linux version in WSL
Or compile from source using MinGW

For Windows, consider using native QLC+ plugins instead of OLA when possible.

Configuration

Server Modes

The plugin supports two modes:

bool isServerEmbedded() const;         // Check current mode
void setServerEmbedded(bool embedded); // Set mode

External Daemon (Recommended)
Embedded Server

External Daemon Mode

OLA daemon runs as a system service:Advantages:

Better performance
Independent configuration
Can be managed separately
Web interface access

Setup:

# Start OLA daemon
sudo systemctl start olad

# Configure in QLC+
# Plugin will connect to existing daemon

OLA Web Interface:

http://localhost:9090

Embedded Server Mode

QLC+ starts and manages OLA daemon:Advantages:

Simpler setup
Automatic lifecycle
No separate daemon management

Disadvantages:

Higher overhead
Limited configuration
QLC+ must manage OLA

Configuration:

setParameter(universe, line, Output, "embedServer", true);

Universe Mapping

Map QLC+ universes to OLA universes:

void setOutputUniverse(quint32 output, unsigned int universe);
QList<uint> outputMapping() const;

Example mapping:

QLC+ Output 0 → OLA Universe 1
QLC+ Output 1 → OLA Universe 2
QLC+ Output 2 → OLA Universe 5

Custom Parameters

void setParameter(quint32 universe, quint32 line,
                  Capability type, QString name, QVariant value);

Available parameters:

Universe number mapping
Embedded server mode
Configuration directory

Output Configuration

Opening Output

bool openOutput(quint32 output, quint32 universe);

When opening output:

Plugin creates OLA client
Connects to OLA daemon
Registers universe
Starts output thread

Output Thread

OLA uses a dedicated thread for communication:

class OlaOutThread : public QThread
{
    void run() override;  // Thread worker
    // Handles OLA client communication
};

The thread:

Maintains connection to OLA daemon
Queues DMX data for transmission
Handles OLA callbacks
Manages universe registration

Sending Data

void writeUniverse(quint32 universe, quint32 output,
                   const QByteArray& data, bool dataChanged);

Data flow:

QLC+ engine calls writeUniverse()
Plugin queues data for output thread
Output thread sends to OLA daemon
OLA daemon routes to appropriate plugin
Protocol plugin transmits to hardware

OLA Protocols

OLA supports many protocols. Here are some commonly used with QLC+:

Network Protocols

Art-Net

Ethernet DMX protocol, wide device support

E1.31 (sACN)

Streaming ACN, ANSI standard

ShowNet

Strand Lighting’s network protocol

Pathport

Pathway Connectivity protocol

OSC

Open Sound Control

KiNET

Color Kinetics protocol

USB Hardware

DMX USB Pro (ENTTEC)
Open DMX USB
DMXKing devices
Velleman K8062D
USBDMX2
Anyma uDMX
Eurolite

Serial Protocols

DMX4Linux
Generic serial DMX

Embedded Devices

Raspberry Pi DMX (GPIO)
SPI-based DMX
BeagleBone

Specialty

Philips Hue
Renard
SandNet
ESP8266/ESP32 devices

OLA’s protocol support depends on which plugins are installed and configured. Check OLA’s web interface for available protocols.

OLA Web Interface

OLA provides a web interface for configuration:

http://localhost:9090

Interface Features

Universe Management

Create, configure, and patch universes

Plugin Configuration

Enable/disable and configure protocol plugins

Port Patching

Route universes to physical ports or protocols

RDM Discovery

Discover and configure RDM devices

DMX Monitor

Real-time view of DMX universe data

Plugin Status

Monitor active plugins and connections

Common Tasks

Create a new universe:

Open web interface
Go to “New Universe”
Set universe ID and name
Select input/output ports
Save configuration

Enable a protocol:

Go to “Plugins”
Find desired protocol plugin
Enable plugin
Configure plugin settings
Restart OLA daemon if needed

Patch a universe:

Select universe
Choose input port (if needed)
Choose output port(s)
Set priority (if multiple outputs)
Apply changes

RDM Support

OLA has extensive RDM support:

RDM Features

Discovery - Find RDM devices
Parameter Management - Read/write device settings
Patch Management - Set DMX addresses
Sensor Data - Read sensor information
Device Info - Manufacturer, model, etc.

Using RDM with OLA

# List RDM devices
ola_rdm_discover -u 1

# Get device info
ola_rdm_get -u 1 -d 0001:12345678 device_info

# Set DMX address
ola_rdm_set -u 1 -d 0001:12345678 dmx_start_address 10

RDM operations are performed through OLA’s tools, not directly through the QLC+ plugin.

Performance Considerations

Daemon Overhead

OLA adds a layer between QLC+ and hardware:

QLC+ → OLA Plugin → OLA Daemon → Protocol Plugin → Hardware

Latency:

Minimal (1-5ms typically)
Depends on system performance
Negligible for most applications

CPU Usage:

OLA daemon: 1-5% typical
Increases with active universes
Protocol-dependent

When to Use OLA

Use OLA when:

Need protocols not natively supported by QLC+
Using specialty hardware
Need RDM features
Want centralized protocol management
Require OLA-specific features

Use native plugins when:

Maximum performance needed
Protocol is natively supported (Art-Net, DMX USB, etc.)
Simpler configuration desired
OLA not available/supported

Troubleshooting

OLA Daemon Not Running

# Check if olad is running
ps aux | grep olad

# Start daemon manually
olad -f  # Foreground mode (for debugging)
olad -l 3  # With verbose logging

# Check daemon status (systemd)
sudo systemctl status olad

Connection Failed

Verify OLA is running

# Test OLA connection
ola_dev_info

# Should list available devices/plugins

Check OLA socket

# OLA uses Unix socket or TCP
ls -l /var/run/ola/

# Or check TCP port 9010
netstat -an | grep 9010

Permissions

# Ensure user can access OLA socket
sudo usermod -a -G ola $USER

# Or adjust socket permissions
sudo chmod 666 /var/run/ola/*

Restart services

# Restart OLA daemon
sudo systemctl restart olad

# Restart QLC+

No DMX Output

Check OLA web interface

Verify universes are configured at http://localhost:9090

Verify port patching

Ensure universe is patched to correct output port

Enable plugins

Check that required protocol plugin is enabled

Test with OLA tools

# Send test data
ola_streaming_client -u 1 -d 255,255,255

Check QLC+ patching

Verify QLC+ universe is patched to OLA output

Universe Mismatch

Ensure universe numbers match:

QLC+ Universe 1 → OLA Output 0 → OLA Universe X

Check mapping:

QLC+ universe patching
OLA plugin universe setting
OLA web interface universe ID

Performance Issues

Check CPU usage - OLA daemon using too much CPU?
Reduce active universes - Only enable needed universes
Optimize protocol settings - Adjust refresh rates
Use native plugins - If available, native may be faster
Dedicated network - For network protocols, use dedicated NIC

OLA Command Line Tools

Useful OLA utilities:

# Device information
ola_dev_info

# Universe list
ola_uni_info

# Set DMX values
ola_set_dmx -u 1 -d 255,128,0

# Stream DMX data
ola_streaming_client -u 1

# RDM discovery
ola_rdm_discover -u 1

# Plugin info
ola_plugin_info

# Patch universe
ola_patch -d 1 -p 1 -u 1

# Record DMX
ola_recorder -u 1 record.ola

# Playback DMX
ola_recorder -u 1 -p record.ola

Configuration Files

OLA configuration location:

# Linux
~/.ola/
/etc/ola/

# macOS  
~/Library/Application Support/ola/

# Files:
# - ola-client.conf - Client configuration
# - ola-server.conf - Daemon configuration
# - ola-{plugin}.conf - Plugin-specific settings

Resources

OLA Documentation

https://docs.openlighting.org/

OLA GitHub

https://github.com/OpenLightingProject/ola

OLA Forums

https://www.openlighting.org/forum/

Plugin List

https://docs.openlighting.org/ola/doc/plugins.html

Art-Net Plugin

Native Art-Net support in QLC+

E1.31 Plugin

Native E1.31 support in QLC+

DMX USB Plugin

Native USB-DMX support

Plugin Overview

Learn about the plugin architecture

Supported Protocols

Hardware Support

​Overview

​What is OLA?

​Capabilities

​Architecture

​Components

​Plugin Structure

​Installation

​Linux

​macOS

​Windows

​Configuration

​Server Modes

​External Daemon Mode

​Embedded Server Mode

​Universe Mapping

​Custom Parameters

​Output Configuration

​Opening Output

​Output Thread

​Sending Data

​OLA Protocols

​Network Protocols

Art-Net

E1.31 (sACN)

ShowNet

Pathport

OSC

KiNET

​USB Hardware

​Serial Protocols

​Embedded Devices

​Specialty

​OLA Web Interface

​Interface Features

​Common Tasks

​RDM Support

​RDM Features

​Using RDM with OLA

​Performance Considerations

​Daemon Overhead

​When to Use OLA

​Troubleshooting

​OLA Daemon Not Running

​Connection Failed

​No DMX Output

​Universe Mismatch

​Performance Issues

​OLA Command Line Tools

​Configuration Files

​Resources

OLA Documentation

OLA GitHub

OLA Forums

Plugin List

​Related Pages

Art-Net Plugin

E1.31 Plugin

DMX USB Plugin

Plugin Overview

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

What is OLA?

Capabilities

Architecture

Components

Plugin Structure

Installation

Linux

macOS

Windows

Configuration

Server Modes

External Daemon Mode

Embedded Server Mode

Universe Mapping

Custom Parameters

Output Configuration

Opening Output

Output Thread

Sending Data

OLA Protocols

Network Protocols

USB Hardware

Serial Protocols

Embedded Devices

Specialty

OLA Web Interface

Interface Features

Common Tasks

RDM Support

RDM Features

Using RDM with OLA

Performance Considerations

Daemon Overhead

When to Use OLA

Troubleshooting

OLA Daemon Not Running

Connection Failed

No DMX Output

Universe Mismatch

Performance Issues

OLA Command Line Tools

Configuration Files

Resources

Related Pages